An optical element array includes a first optical element and a second optical element that is further away from a center of an array region than the first optical element. Orthogonal projections of the first and second optical elements include first and second ends and third and fourth ends, respectively, and vertices thereof are at first and second positions. An interval between the third end and the second position is smaller than that between the first end and the first position and that between the fourth end and that second position. The first and second optical elements respectively include first and second outer edges extending from the vertices thereof to the second and fourth ends. A radius of curvature, or a median value of the radius of curvature, of the second outer edge is in the range of 80% to 120% of that of the first outer edge.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An optical element array comprising: a plurality of optical elements including at least a first optical element and a second optical element located on a same plane, wherein the first optical element is located at a center of an array region, which is a region on the same plane in which the optical elements are arranged, the second optical element is further from the center of the array region than the first optical element, an orthogonal projection of the first optical element on the plane includes a first end and a second end located closer to the second optical element than the first end and located on a first straight line that passes through the first end and the center of the array region, an orthogonal projection of a vertex of the first optical element on the plane is equally spaced from the first end and the second end and located at a first position on the first straight line, an orthogonal projection of the second optical element on the plane includes a third end that is located on the first straight line and a fourth end that is located on the first straight line and that is further from the center of the array region than the third end is, an orthogonal projection of a vertex of the second optical element on the plane is located at a second position on the first straight line, an interval between the third end and the second position is smaller than an interval between the first end and the first position, and is also smaller than an interval between the fourth end and the second position, in a cross section of the first optical element, the cross section being perpendicular to the plane and including the first straight line, the first optical element includes a first outer edge that extends from the vertex of the first optical element to the second end, in a cross section of the second optical element, the cross section being perpendicular to the plane and including the first straight line, the second optical element includes a second outer edge that extends from the vertex of the second optical element to the fourth end, and a radius of curvature of the second outer edge or a median value of the radius of curvature of the second outer edge is greater than or equal to 80% and less than or equal to 120% of a radius of curvature of the first outer edge or a median value of the radius of curvature of the first outer edge.
2. The optical element array according to claim 1 , wherein an interval between the third end and the fourth end is smaller than an interval between the first end and the second end.
3. The optical element array according to claim 1 , wherein the second optical element has a shape that is symmetric about the cross section.
4. The optical element array according to claim 1 , wherein the optical elements further comprise a third optical element located further from the center of the array region than the second optical element along the first straight line, an orthogonal projection of the third optical element on the plane includes a fifth end that is located on the first straight line and a sixth end that is located on the first straight line and that is further from the center of the array region than the fifth end is, an orthogonal projection of a vertex of the third optical element on the plane is located at a third position on the first straight line, an interval between the fifth end and the third position is smaller than the interval between the third end and the second position, in a cross section of the third optical element, the cross section being perpendicular to the plane and including the first straight line, the third optical element includes a third outer edge that extends from the vertex of the third optical element to the sixth end, and a radius of curvature of the third outer edge or a median value of the radius of curvature of the third outer edge is greater than or equal to 80% and less than or equal to 120% of the radius of curvature of the second outer edge or greater than or equal to 80% and less than or equal to 120% of the median value of the radius of curvature of the second outer edge.
5. The optical element array according to claim 4 , wherein the optical elements further comprise a fourth optical element adjacent to the first optical element along the first straight line, a fifth optical element adjacent to the second optical element along the first straight line, and a sixth optical element adjacent to the third optical element along the first straight line, wherein an interval between the second optical element and the fifth optical element is greater than an interval between the first optical element and the fourth optical element, and an interval between the third optical element and the sixth optical element is greater than the interval between the second optical element and the fifth optical element.
6. The optical element array according to claim 4 , wherein an interval between the fifth end and the sixth end is smaller than an interval between the third end and the fourth end.
7. The optical element array according to claim 1 , wherein the optical element array includes a first region in which a plurality of first optical elements are arranged and a second region in which a plurality of second optical elements are arranged.
8. The optical element array according to claim 1 , wherein the orthogonal projection of the second optical element on the plane has a first width along a second straight line at a fourth position located on the first straight line in the second optical element, the second straight line being located on the plane and perpendicular to the first straight line, and a second width along the second straight line at a fifth position on the first straight line in the second optical element, the fifth position being located further away from the center of the array region than the fourth position is, the second width being smaller than the first width, in a first cross section of the second optical element, the first cross section being perpendicular to the plane and including the first width, the second optical element has a first radius of curvature and a first largest height, in a second cross section of the second optical element, the second cross section being perpendicular to the plane and including the second width, the second optical element has a second radius of curvature and a second largest height, and the second radius of curvature is greater than the first radius of curvature, and the second largest height is smaller than the first largest height.
9. The optical element array according to claim 1 , wherein the orthogonal projection of the second optical element on the plane has a first width along a second straight line at a fourth position located on the first straight line in the second optical element, the second straight line being located on the plane and perpendicular to the first straight line, and a second width along the second straight line at a fifth position on the first straight line in the second optical element, the fifth position being located further away from the center of the array region than the fourth position is, the second width being smaller than the first width, in a first cross section of the second optical element, the first cross section being perpendicular to the plane and including the first width, the second optical element has a first largest height, in a second cross section of the second optical element, the second cross section being perpendicular to the plane and including the second width, the second optical element has a second largest height, and the second height is smaller than the first height, and the fifth position is located on an outer edge of the orthogonal projection of the second optical element on the plane.
10. A photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising: the optical element array according to claim 1 ; and a semiconductor substrate including a first photoelectric conversion element that is provided so as to correspond to the first optical element and a second photoelectric conversion element that is provided so as to correspond to the second optical element.
11. The photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the first photoelectric conversion element forms a first pixel and the second photoelectric conversion element forms a second pixel, orthogonal projections of the first pixel and the second pixel on the plane include rectangular regions having respective centers, the orthogonal projections of the first optical element and the second optical element have respective centers, and in the orthogonal projections of the first pixel, the second pixel, the first optical element, and the second optical element on the plane, the center of the second optical element and the center of the rectangular region of the second pixel are arranged along the first straight line, and the center of the second optical element is displaced from the center of the rectangular region of the second pixel toward the center of the array region by a first length.
12. An image pickup system comprising: the photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 10 ; and a signal processing unit that processes a signal from the photoelectric conversion apparatus.
13. An optical element array comprising: a plurality of optical elements including at least a first optical element and a second optical element located on a same plane, wherein the second optical element is further from a center of an array region, which is a region on the same plane in which the optical elements are arranged, than the first optical element, an orthogonal projection of the first optical element on the plane includes a first end and a second end located further from the center of the array region than the first end is and located on a first straight line that passes through the first end and the center of the array region, an orthogonal projection of a vertex of the first optical element on the plane is located at a first position on the first straight line, an orthogonal projection of the second optical element on the plane includes a third end that is located on the first straight line and a fourth end that is located on the first straight line and that is further from the center of the array region than the third end is, an orthogonal projection of a vertex of the second optical element on the plane is located at a second position on the first straight line, an interval between the third end and the second position is smaller than an interval between the first end and the first position, and is also smaller than an interval between the fourth end and the second position, in a cross section of the first optical element, the cross section being perpendicular to the plane and including the first straight line, the first optical element includes a first outer edge that extends from the vertex of the first optical element to the second end, in a cross section of the second optical element, the cross section being perpendicular to the plane and including the first straight line, the second optical element includes a second outer edge that extends from the vertex of the second optical element to the fourth end, and a radius of curvature of the second outer edge or a median value of the radius of curvature of the second outer edge is greater than or equal to 80% and less than or equal to 120% of a radius of curvature of the first outer edge or greater than or equal to 80% and less than or equal to 120% of a median value of the radius of curvature of the first outer edge.
14. The optical element array according to claim 13 , wherein an interval between the third end and the fourth end is smaller than an interval between the first end and the second end.
15. The optical element array according to claim 13 , wherein the second optical element has a shape that is symmetric about the cross section.
16. The optical element array according to claim 13 , wherein the optical elements further comprise a third optical element located further from the center of the array region than the second optical element along the first straight line, an orthogonal projection of the third optical element on the plane includes a fifth end that is located on the first straight line and a sixth end that is located on the first straight line and that is further from the center of the array region than the fifth end is, an orthogonal projection of a vertex of the third optical element on the plane is located at a third position on the first straight line, an interval between the fifth end and the third position is smaller than the interval between the third end and the second position, in a cross section of the third optical element, the cross section being perpendicular to the plane and including the first straight line, the third optical element includes a third outer edge that extends from the vertex of the third optical element to the sixth end, and a radius of curvature of the third outer edge or a median value of the radius of curvature of the third outer edge is greater than or equal to 80% and less than or equal to 120% of the radius of curvature of the second outer edge or greater than or equal to 80% and less than or equal to 120% of the median value of the radius of curvature of the second outer edge.
17. The optical element array according to claim 16 , wherein the optical elements further comprise a fourth optical element adjacent to the first optical element along the first straight line, a fifth optical element adjacent to the second optical element along the first straight line, and a sixth optical element adjacent to the third optical element along the first straight line, wherein an interval between the second optical element and the fifth optical element is greater than an interval between the first optical element and the fourth optical element, and an interval between the third optical element and the sixth optical element is greater than the interval between the second optical element and the fifth optical element.
18. The optical element array according to claim 16 , wherein an interval between the fifth end and the sixth end is smaller than an interval between the third end and the fourth end.
19. A photoelectric conversion apparatus comprising: the optical element array according to claim 13 ; and a semiconductor substrate including a first photoelectric conversion element that is provided so as to correspond to the first optical element and a second photoelectric conversion element that is provided so as to correspond to the second optical element.
20. An image pickup system comprising: the photoelectric conversion apparatus according to claim 13 ; and a signal processing unit that processes a signal from the photoelectric conversion apparatus.
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October 7, 2014
March 1, 2016
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